Eric Alexander Mercury (28 June 1944 – 14 March 2022) was a Canadian singer who was a member of the

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

group The Soul Searchers during the 1960s. He later made waves in 1969 with his '' Electric Black Man'' album. He had two hits: the first on the Canadian charts in 1972 with " I Can Smell That Funky Music", and the second in the United States in 1983, singing a duet with

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

with " Our Love Will Stop the World". He also co-wrote the song "

Down the Backstairs of My Life Eric Alexander Mercury (28 June 1944 – 14 March 2022) was a Canadian singer who was a member of the soul group The Soul Searchers during the 1960s. He later made waves in 1969 with his '' Electric Black Man'' album. He had two hits: the fir ...

Background

Family

Born into a musical family and the youngest of seven children, he was raised in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. His father, Methodist minister George Luther Mercury, was from

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...

. His mother, Gladys Viola Mercury (née Smith), came from Jamaica. They were community leaders who worked just west of the core of Toronto, out of the

British Methodist Episcopal Church The British Methodist Episcopal Church (BMEC) is a Methodist denomination based in Canada. The BMEC was organized on 26 September 1856. The majority of the British Methodist Episcopal Church merged with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME ...

Musical etc.

The two groups he performed in during the 1960s were The Pharaohs and later The Soul Searchers. Following this, he moved to New York in 1968 to perform by himself. His debut solo album, '' Electric Black Man'', was released on Avco Embassy in 1969. It was considered by many in the music industry as a recording milestone in the 1960s. Mercury left his original Avco Embassy label and signed a deal with Enterprise Records, an imprint of

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...

. His follow-up solo albums were ''Funky Sounds Nurtured in the Fertile Soil of Memphis That Smell of Rock'' (1971), ''Love Is Taking Over'' (1973), ''Eric Mercury'' (1975), and ''Gimme A Call Sometime'' (1981). Mercury moved to Los Angeles from 1971 until Christmas 1978, when he relocated to New York. Eventually returning to Toronto, he worked in a management and production role for the band Age of Reason. The band failed to attract any interest from major record labels, and Mercury went to Chicago until 1997, when he again returned to Toronto. He wrote material for other artists such as

and

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...

, for whom he also produced. Mercury's other contributions include vocals to

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

's "Be Like Mike" advertising jingle for Gatorade. He had a few acting roles, appearing in the stage production of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

''.Jam He also had a role in the film '' The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh'' as Rudy, the league commissioner, and as Tyrone Blackwood in '' American Hot Wax''.

Career

1960s

In 1966, Eric Mercury had a single, "I Wondered Why" / "Softly", released on Clip 1122. The group that backed him was The Silhouettes. Diane Brooks and Steve Kennedy were members of the group.45Cat �
Eric Mercury – Discography, Canada
/ref>citizenfreak.com (© Museum of Canadian Music) �
Brooks, Dianne – Some Other Kind of Soul Information/Write-up
/ref> According to William D. Smith's book, ''A Stroke of Luck'', Smith and Kennedy had the idea of putting together a group to play behind Brooks, whom Kennedy was romantically involved with. The name of the group was The Soul Searchers. However, the real name was Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury, and The Soul Searchers. This all came together in April 1966.''A Stroke of Luck'' by William D. Smith 2008,
Pages 278 to 280 Diane Brooks
/ref> The instrumental part of the group was made up of Eric "Mouse" Johnson on drums and vocals, Steve Kennedy on tenor, baritone sax and background vocals, Terry Logan on guitar and vocals, and William "Smitty" Smith on Hammond B3 organ and vocals. Their first gig was at Memory Lane in Toronto. While things were progressing, Brooks got an offer to record for herself. Due to the band supposedly not being up to the task and lacking in experience, they did not get to play on the recording. At some stage, while having played in Canada and the US, the Soul Searchers were still an unsigned group. However, they had attracted the attention of a young producer, C. Nash. He had been coming along to their performances, and he wanted to record them. A session was set up in the middle of the night in Detroit, where the group had been playing at the time. The recording session took place in a small, basic studio. The song "Lonely Girl", which was written by William "Mickey" Stevenson and

Ivy Jo Hunter George Ivy Hunter (August 28, 1940 – October 6, 2022), known as Ivy Jo Hunter, was an American R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for Motown in the 1960s. Life and career Raised in Detroit, Michigan ...

, had been rejected by Motown. It was learned, rehearsed, and arranged in a few hours, then recorded. Ten copies of the record were given to the group. There was no airplay or promotion, and that was the last they saw of Nash. The single credited to Eric Mercury and the Soul Searchers would eventually become a highly prized collector's item, attracting some very high prices.Soul Discovery, 25 July 2021 – Eric Mercury and The Soul Searchers By the summer of 1968, the Soul Searchers were a very popular band in Canada, with Mercury fronting them. It was when they were playing in Halifax that he decided to leave the band.''The Globe and Mail'', 23 March 2022 �
OBITUARY, Charismatic singer Eric Mercury turned heads with Electric Black Man album by Brad Wheeler
/ref>''FYI Music News'', 6 September 2019 �
Eric Mercury – Electric Black Man – A Conversation by Bill King
/ref> Decades later, in an interview with Bill King of ''FYI Music News'', Mercury said the straw that pushed him out was when the band played a gig without him at the Mercury Club on Victoria Street. Two other reasons for his departure were the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as what

Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk music, folk, soul music, soul (both of which he frequently cover song, covered), and rhythm and b ...

was doing musically. A few days later, after the Mercury Club non-inclusion incident, he got a ride with two hookers heading to New York with just a library card and $52 on him. While trying to make things happen musically, he was sheltering at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where he slept in an abandoned Studebaker. By November 1968, Mercury was one of the acts signed to a new firm, Fairlead Management, which was formed by Attorneys Bennett Gotzer and Dennis Katz, who was the brother of musician Steve Katz. Mercury recorded his debut solo album, '' Electric Black Man'', and it was released in 1969. A review of the album from ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

'' critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

said, ''"Mercury is a fairly strong singer. Maybe someday he'll put out a fairly strong album."'' Others proved to be bigger fans of the LP, including

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

1970s

The 30 January 1970 issue of ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' announced that Mercury had dropped the "Electric Black Man" name, that his group was now called Eric Mercury Birthrite, and that they were recording at the Fillmore East on the 23rd and 24th of that month. The musicians in the band included guitarist and music director

Elliott Randall Elliott Randall (born June 15, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known for being a session musician and performing with popular music artists. Randall played the well-known guitar solos on Steely Dan's song " Reelin' in the Years" and Irene Ca ...

, organist Carson Whittsett, and two young musicians, Willie Weeks and

Bill Lordan Bill Lordan (born May 22, 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota), is an American rock music drummer who has been in a number of bands, such as The Mystics (band), The Mystics, Gypsy (band), Gypsy, The Robin Trower Band and Sly & The Family Stone. He be ...

. The group also played other venues, such as Fillmore East, Boston Tea Party, and Whiskey Au Go Go. It was reported in the 11 December 1971 edition of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' that Allan Katz, the national promotional director of

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

, had taken Mercury on a cross-country tour, visiting stations from Toronto to Vancouver to promote his new album, ''Funky Sounds Nurtured in the Fertile Soil of Memphis That Smell of Rock''. His single " I Can Smell That Funky Music" had just been released as well. By the 31st of that month, the single was at #12 on the CKVN 1410 Top 40 chart and eventually reached number 30 in Canada on 15 January 1972. In November 1973, Mercury appeared at the Millennium '73 festival at the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, which had Guru Maharaj Ji as the star attraction. Booked to perform on stage on the first day, with Stax Records promising a great spot for him and promotional hype to match, he did not come on until four in the afternoon. He performed to a disappointingly low audience, with just 4000 or 5000 people in the entire stadium. Actor

Marjoe Gortner Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner (born January 14, 1944) is an American former Evangelism, evangelist preacher and actor. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him to be Ordination, ordained as a preacher a ...

was there on stage as well. Gortner, a former preacher, noted that one of the songs Mercury performed was one he had heard in churches when he was a child. In 1975, his self-titled ''Eric Mercury'' album was released. This is where the song "Down the Backstairs of My Life" made its first recorded appearance. Co-written with William D. Smith, the song was recorded by artists such as Smith, Dianne Brooks, Yvonne Elliman, Leah Kunkel,

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1943) is an American singer and actress. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy for ...

, Kenny Rankin,

Joey Scarbury Joey Scarbury (born June 7, 1955) is an American singer and songwriter known for his 1981 hit song, " Theme from ''The Greatest American Hero'' (Believe It or Not)". Childhood and early music career Scarbury was born in Ontario, California, Un ...

, and

Dee Dee Warwick Delia Juanita Warrick (September 25, 1942 – October 18, 2008), known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick, was an American soul singer. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, she was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, the niece of Cissy Houston, a ...

. For the week of 23 May, the album was getting airplay on KWST FM in Los Angeles. The following week, it was being played on KMET FM in Los Angeles. That year also saw motor car manufacturer Lincoln-Mercury want Mercury to compose and sing commercial jungles for their 1976 line of cars. Music magazine ''

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

'' noted in their June 13 issue that Eric Mercury had a cousin called Lincoln Mercury.

1980s to 1990s

In August 1981, his album ''Gimme a Call Sometime'' was released on Capitol ST12126. In the short review, ''Billboard'' recommended the tracks "It's Just Like Love", "To Become", "Gimme A Call Sometime" and "To Get it Right". A gimmick used to promote the LP was the setting up of two toll-free numbers by Capitol. Callers who rang would go through to a tape recording of Eric Mercury giving a brief sales pitch. By 5 March 1983, the single Mercury recorded with

, " Our Love Will Stop the World", was at #66 in the Top 100 Black Contemporary Singles chart. By 19 March, it was down to #93. The song peaked at #65. Merc and Monk was a duo project with Thelonious Monk Jr. They released a self-titled album in 1985.

2000s

In 2019, Mercury collaborated with Anthony Aramouni, a Montreal composer, and the song "Bright Eyed Woman" was released. The launch of the song was to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the release of his album, '' Electric Black Man''. In 2021, the highly collectible Eric Mercury & The Soul Searchers single, originally released on the SAC label, saw a re-release on the Big Man Records label.Soul Strutter, Monday 6 September 2021 �
Eric Mercury & The Soul Searchers (2021) – Lonely Girl (Big Man Records #BMR-1006)
/ref>

Illness and death

Mercury died from pancreatic cancer on 14 March 2022, at the age of 77.Canadian Singer-Songwriter and Musician Eric Mercury Has Passed Away
/ref>

Discography

Studio albums

References

External links

* * *
Biography
at Answers.com
Biography
at ARTIST Direct

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercury, Eric 1944 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Black Canadian male singers 20th-century Canadian male singers The Soul Searchers (Canadian group) members Black Canadian male actors Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian people of Grenadian descent Canadian people of Jamaican descent Canadian record producers Canadian rhythm and blues singers Canadian male songwriters Canadian soul singers Singers from Toronto Writers from Toronto Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Ontario Enterprise Records artists